


Restless Lane

by jaerie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Louis Tomlinson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Friends to Lovers, Glam Rock, Hannah Montana inspired AU, Heartache, Heat Sex, Knotting, Lace Panties, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misunderstandings, Omega Harry, Secret Identity, Secrets, Sexism, boys who take a while to get their shit together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-18 22:03:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20320219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaerie/pseuds/jaerie
Summary: Louis had grown used to his boring life back in Mississippi as a stand-in father figure to his siblings.  He never expected his childhood friend to show up on his lawn with the heat of summer or that he would remind Louis how much of himself he'd tucked away and neglected.  He also never expected to find himself caught up in a tangled web of feelings or secrets that just might break him.  Maybe he had never known Harry at all.





	Restless Lane

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lululawrence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/gifts).

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUS!!!!! I almost pulled a Harry and screamed IT'S A HANDBAG so many times over the past months. BUT I HELD OUT!!!! That's why I'm posting this so soon after midnight. I couldn't hold out any longer hahaha!!! It's not exactly the Hannah Montana AU I sset out to write, but I think it worked out well. I hope you have a special day!! enjoy!
> 
> I don't know anything about Mississippi and I made up stuff about MSG so just roll with it. 
> 
> Thanks to Layne who organized the whole idea. This one is inspired by the Faith Hill song Mississippi Girl

* * *

The lights go down like a rapidly setting sun and the crowd screams in the darkness. It’s a swell of sound that adds to the anticipation as the neon light flickers to life in its scrawling script against the backdrop. _ Restless Lane. _ It’s their signature set design. It won’t be long now. 

The first haunting notes of distorted electric guitar break through the dim haze of smoke and the crowd goes wild. The intro builds as soft lights slowly come up from directly above the figure with both hands gripping the mic on the stand. It shadows his face already half hidden by long dark hair but not enough to keep the glitter over his lids and across his cheeks from shimmering as he opens his mouth to sing. His deep voice is smooth and seductive and the whole theater falls under his spell in a second. 

As the chorus rises with harmonies, the first glimpses of his shadowed face reveal smokey eyeliner with a hint of purple on his long lashes. Dark lines draw out the illusion of a mask resting over the bridge of his nose filled in with a thick layer of purple and silver sparkles. His eyes scan past the crowd with intense focus yet remain unseeing over the blur of faces. It’s easier to play to the void when it’s all an act. 

_ We don't talk about it _  
_ It's something we don't do _  
_ 'Cause once you go without it _ _  
_Nothing else will do

He rips the mic from the stand when they immediately transition into the classic rock chords Restless Lane is known for. He raises his arms to get the crowd going as he struts to the edge of the stage and leans forward to prompt an explosion of screams. His oversized black blazer falls open to reveal his chest, bare save for the dark lined tattoos and the shimmer covering his skin. It catches the stage lights like a vampire from Twilight in the sun and makes him feel like the ethereal being his fans believe he is. 

The scent of excited omega is thick in the air. They all want him— at least they think they do. He’s the poster boy for the dark, mysterious alpha mothers don’t want their omegas to date, the bad boy with a tormented yet sensitive side. 

He smirks when his hip thrusts have the front row so worked up he can practically hear their racing hearts. He’ll never grow tired of the power the stage has brought him if only for just a few minutes a night. It’s powerful to be the one in charge and he feeds off the energy. It is what it is. He’s got them all fooled. 

—————

Louis struggled with the many grocery bags loaded onto his arms and bumped the car door with his hip to slam it closed. He could have just made several trips into the house, but that seemed like too much work. Even if his current method probably wasn’t any better, at least it would be over faster. It was just how he operated. That was why it was a good thing his shop wasn’t a public space. The end result was always the same so why would he waste more time?

He turned to walk towards the house and was immediately yanked backwards. He fell against the side of the car with an unattractive noise as he tried to keep his balance. One of the bags ripped open in the process which caused a domino effect of tearing plastic and tumbling groceries. It all happened at once. His orange juice hit the pavement and exploded onto his shoes and the eggs that hadn’t already broken in the fall rolled down the gravel lined driveway to settle along the street. 

He stood in shock with the edge of his shirt closed into the car door to pin him there while honking laughter coming from somewhere just added to his annoyance. More mad than embarrassed, he huffed and let the rest of the bags drop at his sides in order to free himself from the car. 

“And I thought I was clumsy,” the laughing voice continued as it came closer. 

Louis pulled his shirt free, slammed the door shut and whirled around to face— 

It was the scent that hit him first before he laid eyes on a very familiar face. Though with less baby fat in his cheeks and much taller than he remembered, Louis would know that omega anywhere after their years together. 

“Harry! Hey!” he smiled and accepted the hug that was offered. “I didn’t know you were coming back this summer!” 

It had been years since he’d seen Harry even though they’d grown up as neighbors. Their yards met between their houses and they’d been inseparable as children. They’d drifted apart when Harry’s parents divorced and he’d moved with his mom to Colorado. Harry had been thirteen and Louis fifteen when that had happened, just before they would have spent their high school years together, just before they’d presented. Louis couldn’t remember the last time Harry had come back to his dad’s house for more than a week since and that was usually over holidays when meeting up was difficult. 

Louis could sense the way Harry subtly scented him when he tucked his face against his neck in their embrace and Louis couldn’t help but take a whiff himself. Still the same– sugary sweet with a grounding earthy tone to it. It was one Louis had pined over for so long as a teenager and one that he would never forget. It was nostalgic to be reminded of the first hopeless crush of his youth. He could still remember the first time Harry had been back after he’d presented. It had also been the first time Louis realized he just might be into male omegas. It had been a lot to process. 

“I could say the same for you! I didn’t know you’d be back,” Harry pulled away with a smile that matched Louis’ own. “I thought you always wanted to get out of this hellhole of a state as you always liked to call it.” 

“Yeah well, it is what it is,” he shrugged, “I moved back about a year ago to help out after, you know, everything.” He gestured towards the house with another shrug. Surely Harry knew what had happened in his family over the last few years. Sure Harry wasn’t around much, but often talked to his dad who no doubt had filled him in. It wasn’t worth getting into in the middle of a happy greeting. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t around,” Harry said as he awkwardly shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down at his toes. “I tried to make it work to get here, but I couldn’t get away.” 

“Don’t worry about it. I was in such a daze I don’t even remember who came around. You could have told me you came back and slept on my couch and I would have believed you.” 

“Still, I’m sorry.” 

“You should be more sorry you’ve gone and lost your accent! Look at you! No southern drawl left at all!” 

Harry blushed so he had been successful in lightening the mood. Louis had never been good with having the difficult conversations and the deep southern drawl Louis still sported was so noticeably absent from his old friend that he couldn’t _ not _ make a comment. Teenaged Harry had held onto most of it. 

“It all comes back with a few beers, I assure you.” 

“So you really can’t take the southern out of the boy then can you?” 

“Guess not completely.” 

Harry smiled with his cheeks still pink. Louis had really missed him now that he’d laid eyes on him. His out of control curls that framed his cherubic face the last time Louis had seen him in the flesh was longer now and tied up in a messy bun. The springy locks weren’t free for Louis to playfully yank on as he would have when he flirted with the boy who probably only thought of him as a brother. It had been so unfortunate for freshly presented Louis to harbor a crush on his childhood friend that he only saw maybe a few times a year while they were teenagers. It still brought a rush to him as they stood together now as adults. He’d never quite gotten over it. Harry had always been beautiful, soul _ and _ body. 

“I better get this stuff in, but how long are you staying?” Louis asked as he squatted to gather up his scattered groceries– what was left of them anyway. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to get away long enough to come back so I thought I would stay for the summer.” 

“The whole summer? I heard you had some fancy job that keeps you too busy to mingle with us commoners.” 

Louis meant it as a joke but had seen the sadness in Harry’s dad’s eyes when he talked about his son who couldn’t make time to come home. 

“It’s not really like that. I don’t avoid coming here. It’s— It’s just complicated.” Harry looked so dejected as he dug at a patch of bare dirt with the toe of his shoe. 

“Chin up, I didn’t say it to guilt you. So I’ll see you around?” 

The plastic loops of the shopping bags were back around his wrists and if he didn’t start moving soon his joints would surely separate from the weight of the remaining bags. 

“Yeah, I’ll be around.” Harry smiled but there was something missing from his eyes. Louis didn’t have time to analyse it before Harry turned and picked up the hose to continue watering the flowers that separated their yards. 

Louis rushed into the house, leaving Harry to his gardening and the river of orange juice to take care of itself. 

  


—————

  


Louis loved his family, he really did. It was just nice to have a quiet house all to himself while his younger siblings spent most of the summer with their dads. He was trying to be a good brother by keeping them together and in the same schools in a situation that threatened to tear the family apart. Routine was good and he liked having them around, he just wasn’t completely ready to be a full time dad of four under eighteen. He was a young alpha in his twenties and just needed some space to be irresponsible and messy sometimes without worrying about setting a bad example. 

So it was that philosophy that found Louis sitting in a lawn chair in his backyard with a beer in his hand and a pack of cigarettes balanced on the arm rest. It was still hot and humid in late afternoon so Louis had abandoned his shirt and sat in just a baseball cap and a pair of swim trunks with little turtles on them leftover from his youth. They were a little tight through the hips but what did it matter when he was in his own backyard? No one was around to see it. 

He’d just lit a second cigarette when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to watch as Harry carefully walked across the yard balancing something in his hands. It was a stifling million degrees outside yet the omega wore jeans and a long sleeve shirt that covered almost every inch of skin past his hands and head. _ Restless Lane World Tour _was scrawled across the chest in purple print against pale pink material. He assumed it was the name of some band and it sounded vaguely familiar to him, probably from his oldest sibling Lottie. She was always going on about some band or another and plastering new posters and calendars all over her walls when she was staying at the house. 

“Why are you dressed for fall? Aren’t you dying??” Louis asked.

“What? Oh,” Harry looked down at his covered arms and shrugged. “Guess I just run cold is all.” 

Louis would have believed him if it wasn’t for the damp splotches of sweat soaking through the fabric. Louis could smell his heightened scent from it without trying. Just maybe Louis let his own scent free on purpose. He hid his reaction when Harry’s nostrils twitched. 

“Uh huh, sure,” Louis narrowed his eyes as Harry took a seat in the lawn chair next to him. It was then that Louis could see that Harry had been holding a glass pie plate that he now rested in his lap. 

“I baked you a blackberry pie,” Harry told him and offered it over. It looked like it had been made professionally with the crust crisscrossed over the top like a wicker basket. It easily could have been pictured in a magazine. “I was going to call it a housewarming present but I’m more so the one that just got here so maybe just a neighbor gift?” 

“You baked me a pie?” Louis asked. It wasn’t exactly shock, more like deep surprise. No one had ever baked him a pie. 

“I don’t get to bake so much when I’m out on the road. For work. When I travel for work. For my job. And with how much I’m baking I’ll never be able to eat my way through everything and I thought you might enjoy it?” 

Louis nodded slowly and took the pie. He rested it on his own lap. It was still warm and smelled so delicious he’d bust into it right then if he had a fork. He looked up to find a hopeful look on Harry’s face like he was trying not to let on how desperate for approval he was. Harry had always been eager to please, even as a little kid. Louis should have figured he’d present omega even back then, especially when it was for himself and not because that’s how he was told he should be. 

“I was just going to throw in one of those Hungry Man tv dinners so this is a welcome surprise.” 

Harry gasped and suddenly looked concerned. “You’re going to eat a frozen meal? Do you know how loaded with sodium those are? Don’t you cook?”

“I can manage some mac n cheese when the kids are around or one of those casseroles where you just open cans and throw a whole bunch of shit in with tater tots on top,” Louis shrugged, “Too much work when it’s just me.” 

“Nope.” Harry shook his head adamantly, “You can’t live like that. You’re coming over for supper.” 

“I’m what?” Louis raised a brow. His frozen dinners and beer had served him well so far in his life. He didn’t see what the issue was with another night just the same as many before it. 

“Coming for dinner! You can’t eat that crap when I have chicken and dumplings on the stove.” 

The logic didn’t exactly make sense but Louis wasn’t going to refuse some good home cooking when it was offered. It had been ages since he’d had a good meal like his mom or nan used to make. 

“Come over in half an hour. Keep the pie, though. The pie is just for you.” 

Louis could have sworn he saw a wink when Harry practically skipped across the yard, leaving his unmasked scent trailing behind him.

  


—————

  


Louis was in heaven. He’d never had homemade chicken and dumplings as good as the bowl Harry had served him in his life. Growing up with his nan’s cooking, that was really saying something. Nan’s Sunday dinners were the highlight of his week growing up and it wasn’t because of the family time. Louis would have been a chubby kid if he hadn’t participated in so many sports that kept him running around to work off all the butter and rich ingredients. 

The way he’d moaned his way through the main course was probably obscene, but he couldn’t help it. It was the most fulfilling meal he’d had in a long time and it was the only way he could express himself when he was too wrapped up in taste to find words. It really hit the spot. He was just thankful Harry’s dad was out of town for business and not home to witness his reaction. 

“You’re magic or something,” Louis declared once his second helping had disappeared. 

“The secret is intention. If you cook just because you have to eat, it will never turn out the way it does when you enjoy cooking. I don’t know if cooking with love is the right way to put it, but cooking with joy definitely applies.” 

That sounded like a less poetic version of something Louis would find painted onto a board at a craft fair and hung in some grandma’s kitchen, but it made sense when Harry said it. 

“Well it’s fantastic however you made it.” 

“I usually have to watch my diet so I was thinking of frying up some chicken if you wanted to stop by tomorrow,” Harry said hopefully with bright eyes. 

“I don’t want to interrupt the time you have with your dad or anything,” Louis said though the thought of homemade fried chicken already had his mouth watering. 

“He’s… out of town for a while. I’m kind of watching the house while he’s gone I guess you could say.” 

Louis frowned. “That sucks. You’d think he’d want to be home with you since he doesn’t get to see you that much.” 

“I see him as much as I can.” 

Louis frowned. “It’s still unfortunate timing since he doesn’t get to see you that often.” 

“Yeah, I don’t get out here much. But I fly him out a bunch when I’m out on t— when I’m traveling. For business. So he gets to see a bit of the world at least.” 

Harry chewed on his lip nervously and Louis wondered what was so secretive about his job that he kept stumbling over himself. It happened every time it came up. Maybe he worked for the CIA or undercover for the FBI or something. 

“I guess so. If you really mean it, I could stop by after I close up the shop tomorrow.”

Louis didn’t really have set hours, but it sounded more professional to make it seem like he did. Repairing boat motors and selling parts was more of a word of mouth type thing than anything. Sure he had deadlines, especially for all the vacationers that came out to the lake that needed quick repairs. They were his main source of income but that still rarely kept him in the shop for a solid eight hours at a time. 

Harry grinned and nodded eagerly. “Yes! Of course I mean it! Come over whenever you want!” 

He seemed so eager and excited to have Louis around so it became a routine for the next week. Louis would dink around in the shop until Harry stopped over with some sort of baked treat for an afternoon snack and Louis ended up in a chair at Harry’s kitchen table with some of the best home cooking he’d ever had every evening. 

They gravitated towards each other and everything fell into place just as easily as it had before circumstance had ripped them apart. Of course Louis still found Harry attractive, but the awkward crush from his teens had settled into something normal that didn’t make things weird as Louis always feared it might. Soon Louis started looking forward to seeing Harry as the best parts of his day.

Louis didn’t think he was depressed, but had resigned himself to the mundane routine of his life after his mom, and then sister, had passed. He’d only been halfway through his formal schooling to be a marine mechanic and just starting to build his own life when things had gone downhill. He’d left it all to take care of his family without hesitation. School, his dating and social life, his aspirations— they hardly seemed important at the time when he needed to keep his family together. 

It took Harry popping back up for Louis to realize how much he’d missed having his own life. It was nice to have a friend. 

“So are you seeing anyone?” Harry asked on a Sunday afternoon when Louis had decided that no one should work on the Lord’s day and left the shop. Nevermind that he hadn’t been to church since he’d left the house the first time and still didn’t put much weight in those kinds of traditions. He used it when it benefited him, though. 

“No, I’m not. Talk myself out of needing to date most of the time. It’s kind of busy when the kids come back when school starts and then I can’t really bring people back home with them in the house.” Louis shrugged and took a long swig of the homemade lemonade Harry had made that afternoon. It was delicious. “You?” 

“No,” Harry shook his head and looked down at his lap where he was messing with the hem of his long sleeve tshirt. 

Louis couldn’t understand how Harry dealt with the stifling heat and humidity with the long sleeves and high necks of the tops he always wore. Louis favoured being shirtless in the summer himself. It was another _ Restless Lane _ shirt, this one with the name made to look like it was written with a sharpie across a screen printed cassette. How cliche for the “retro” movement. Harry must really love the band to have an endless wardrobe of their merch. 

“My job makes it difficult to date. I haven’t for a really long time.” 

Harry sounded so forlorn that Louis could even scent it in the air. It was that powerful. It squeezed at his heart. He wanted Harry to be happy. 

“Maybe you need a new job then,” Louis suggested. “If it’s keeping you from things you want to do.” 

Harry shrugged and looked away. “It’s complicated.” 

“It’s not that complicated. If you want to do something, find a way to do it.” 

Harry’s smile was sad. “That’s how I got into this mess to begin with.” 

He didn’t leave an opening for Louis to ask questions before he turned to start the dishes. 

  


—————

  


Harry started to spend so much time with Louis at the shop that he automatically started bringing out two cups of coffee in the morning and leaving at least one of the chairs clutter-free. It had only been just over two weeks since Harry had returned to his life and now Louis couldn’t remember what it had been without him. Harry told lame jokes that Louis struggled not to laugh at and Louis showed Harry the basics of motor repair just as Louis’ step dad had taught him. Harry was completely hopeless, but he still was worthy of an A for effort when he tried so hard to have the right tool ready for him. 

One particularly warm afternoon Louis had completely abandoned even the pretense of working as he sat across the shop from Harry. They’d made popcorn and took turns throwing it towards each other attempting to make it into the other’s mouth. They were horribly bad at it and Louis was glad they hadn’t started the game inside the house. The floor was a mess. 

Harry threw a piece across and Louis tipped his head back to catch it only for it to hit his eye. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, but as he blinked, his hand immediately flew up to the scratching sting he felt. 

“I think something got in my eye,” he squinted and headed into the house to look into the mirror. He wasn’t a stranger to things irritating his contacts and went straight to his bathroom since he’d probably need to rinse it off. 

Harry followed and hopped up on the bathroom counter while Louis leaned in close to the mirror. Harry grabbed Louis’ wrist and pulled on it until he was standing between Harry’s parted knees. It was intimate being in each other’s space, especially after they were now adults and not just children who hadn’t yet presented. The proximity they’d been in hundreds of times as kids suddenly felt charged and forbidden like a parent might walk in on them in such a position. 

“Let me just…” Harry cupped Louis’ jaw with gentle hands and tilted his face until they were just inches apart. “There it is.’ 

Harry’s thumb brushed softly over his cheek while the fingers of his other hand came dangerously close to his eye. Louis stood frozen and trusting where he would have ripped himself away from anyone else attempting to do the same. 

“Got it,” Harry said and held up the eyelash knocked in by the popcorn. His bright smile wavered when he apparently realized just how close their faces were and they stared at each other for a long moment. 

“Hi,” Louis said in the soft airy tone he always fell into when he was at a loss. He could have stepped back, he could have done _ anything _, but he didn’t. 

“Hi,” Harry responded and Louis didn’t miss the way his eyes flickered down to his lips nor the small movement of his tongue to moisten his own. 

Harry’s scent was all around them now and so easy to read. An omega had never been so open with their emotions around him and it was quickly going straight to his head. It was rich, so many hidden undertones that it would take Louis a lifetime to categorize each individual element. The strongest one that trumped everything else was trust. Even after so much time between them, Harry still trusted Louis with the same pure, unquestioning faith he had back when they were both just kids. 

It wasn’t something he’d ever thought of as a turn on until he felt it rolling off of Harry in that moment. But they were just friends and Harry was only around for the summer and so many more reasons why Louis shouldn’t take advantage of his own lust and—

Harry was wet. The scent hit him just as he was talking himself out of making a move, ready to take a few steps back to distance himself from the situation. 

“Are you wet?” he blurted out which made Harry grow bright red. Louis usually had more tact.

“Yea,” Harry responded softly with a bashful shrug.

Louis wasn’t sure who moved first but he was almost certain they met in the middle. Their lips crushed together in an awkward press that turned heated and desperate so quickly that all rational thought short circuited in his brain. There were so many things to be overwhelmed by and not enough time to process any of them. Harry’s fingers were in his hair gripping and holding them together and he could scent Harry’s arousal so strongly he wanted to be wrapped up in it forever. 

It didn’t take much for Harry to slide to the edge of the counter where Louis could feel both his erection and the humid heat from his slick even through their clothes. He groaned. 

“Please Lou,” Harry whimpered.

“What do you want?” Louis panted. His hands rested on Harry’s thighs and slid up under his shorts. His inner thighs were silky smooth and soft all the way up to the heat of his center. His fingertips barely brushed the lace and he groaned again at the realization. 

“Anything Lou, Please,” Harry begged and brought their lips together again. 

Louis moved his fingers along the edge of lace and then yanked the shorts down from under him. The omega let out a small squeak of surprise and then parted his thighs, hooking his ankles behind Louis’ back. 

His dick was hard under the forest green lace when Louis sneaked a peak down between them. It was a high quality garment that was soft instead of scratchy and it looked so good holding him in. 

With all of the chaos and heartache his family had been going through, it had been a long time since Louis had been with anybody, especially an O. He was so glad it was Harry so he could take his time and enjoy all the scents and sights he loved about them. 

He slipped his fingers past the lace to dive directly towards his center. He bypassed Harry’s dick in favour of searching for the source of his sweet smelling slick. Hot and wet, Louis easily found it just under his balls and circled with a finger. 

Harry threw his head back and moaned and Louis took the opportunity to attach his lips to his neck and scent him up to nestle his nose in behind Harry’s ear. He almost growled with the scent that invaded his senses so directly.

The first push of his fingers into Harry’s body made his knot pulse with want and it was so difficult to hold himself back from ravaging him. His childhood best friend had grown into the omega of his dreams that felt personally tailored to him, so far anyway. All of his boxes were ticked. Every day he was feeling more attracted to Harry and now his fingers were buried deep in his quim where he hoped his cock would shortly be. 

“Where were you hiding this when we took baths in your mom’s jacuzzi tub?” 

“Hadn’t found it yet,” Harry panted. 

Louis pulled the panties to the side even more so he could see where his fingers slipped inside. There wouldn’t have been much to look at there when they were kids. The gorgeous dark pink of Harry’s hole, his slick and the elasticity of it all wouldn’t have developed until Harry presented and went through puberty. Harry had been in Colorado by then the same way he had been in Colorado when Louis’ body had changed and when he’d popped his first knot. It was a time in their lives they didn’t share. 

“Fucking gorgeous,” Louis mumbled in awe.

“Please Lou, fuck me already,” Harry begged and bucked his hips to meet Louis’ fingers. He moaned in response. 

“Don’t have any condoms,” Louis suddenly realized. He’d never had sex in this house since he moved back and anything left over from anyone else would surely be expired if there even was anything hidden away. 

“Don’t care. I’m on the strongest meds they make. Believe me, nothing is going to happen.” 

The way he said it made Louis believe him. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly, maybe the hint of bitterness or the slight roll of his eyes, but he trusted the comment. 

“Take this off,” Louis tugged at Harry’s long sleeve shirt. 

“No time, please,” Harry distracted him by pulling him in for another kiss and any objection Louis had was lost to their lust. 

He pulled himself out of his sweats and stroked back to the rounded base of his cock where his knot was pulsing and ready to be let loose. It wouldn’t take long for it to pop if Harry let him which wasn’t exactly on the table yet. 

Harry knocked Louis’ hands out of the way and stroked him. It aided in pulling him closer until the head touched against the soft lace. Harry pulled it aside and Louis could only look down and watch as he was guided in. 

It felt so amazing to slowly sink inside. He let out a deep groan and nosed back around Harry’s ear to live in his scent. It was so strong and so potent and made Louis’ mind float away from everything but the actions of his dick. It was primal and the hottest thing he’d experienced in a long time. 

Louis had just enough rational thought to reach between them and circle his thumb and forefinger around the start of his knot to keep himself from accidentally slamming it in the way he wanted to. It was what every nerve in his body was vibrating in anticipation for but Louis wasn’t an inconsiderate knothead. He wouldn’t knot Harry without explicit permission. That’s how Louis had been made and he’d grown up with the consequences. 

“Shove it in, Lou! Oh my god, knot me now!” 

Harry tightened his legs around Louis’ hips so tight Louis couldn’t pull away as he demanded it.

Louis lost all of his resolve and pulled his hand away. The swell pushed in and out of Harry with a satisfying pop in time with his thrusts until one particularly hard one held him tight. Blood rushed as his knot engorged to hold them together and Harry was incoherent with moans and whines until Louis started to fill him with deep pulses of come. 

“God yes,” Harry mumbled. He buried his face in Louis’ neck and held him close while he rocked his own hips against the pull of their tie. “Feels so good, Lou. Fucking needed it. I fucking needed it.”

Harry kept babbling while Louis lived in the moment. The release felt so good even though he wished he weren’t still standing. His body just wanted to collapse into a heap as all his energy was being spent between his legs. But it was also nice to be held in the position they were in, Harry’s legs hooked around his hips and his arms wrapped around his shoulders. Louis could feel Harry’s breath where he had tucked his face in against his neck and he felt so loved and protected. Louis wanted to keep that moment forever. 

“Louis, I kind of lied to you,” Harry said against his neck a few minutes later when their heartbeats had calmed. They were still tied but the urgency was gone and Louis hadn’t felt himself pulse for a while. He did tense when Harry’s words registered, though.

“What do you mean?” 

He felt bad thinking of the worst case scenario. It was just too common in movies and horror stories that the omega had lied about birth control or the other way around with an alpha and a condom. He couldn’t help the thoughts ricocheting inside his head. 

“My dad isn’t out of town on business,” Harry continued softly. “He is out of town, but on vacation to visit my aunts.” 

“So? The details hardly matter, Harry. It’s okay.” 

“No, I mean he’s out of town so I could have the house to myself. For my heat.” 

“Oh.” 

Louis’ brain short circuited. Harry. In heat. While he was still knot-deep. 

“It’s been almost four years since I’ve had one and the doctors all insisted it needed to happen for my health. They scheduled my t——, my work schedule around it.”

“I’ve heard it’s not good to go too long,” Louis volunteered though his knowledge was pretty lacking when it came to the kind of suppressants Harry was apparently on. His sisters all just had the normal kind as far as he knew and he hadn’t been in a long term relationship where that mattered yet. 

“They pushed back some release dates so I could hide out here and work through it alone and I was planning to... But Lou, I wasn’t expecting that you would be here and I wasn’t expecting that you’d be interested. Will you spend my heat with me?” Harry pulled away just enough so they could face each other and then more words nervously tumbled out of his mouth when all Louis could do was look back at him in surprise. “Out of all the people from my old life here in Mississippi, you’re the only person I’ve really kept in touch with even if it is just through my dad. It doesn’t have to mean anything, you don’t owe me anything, it would just help me out a lot and we both enjoyed it this time. I mean I think you enjoyed it? Was it good for you? I’m sorry if it wasn’t, maybe I was just too into it—”

“Harry. We’re still tied.” Louis deadpanned. He sighed when Harry still looked worried and ground their hips together for emphasis. “Yes, it was good or we wouldn’t still be here.” 

It was true. It wasn’t a world record but it was one of Louis’ longer ties for sure. That had to mean something. 

“When does it start?” 

“Soon.” 

  


—————

  


Louis couldn’t believe this was happening. He’d never spent a heat with an omega before and he really had no clue what to expect. Maybe they should have talked through this beforehand, but that ship had already sailed. 

Harry had broken into a sweat by the time Louis’ knot had deflated where they were in the bathroom and the tell tale undertones of heat subtly braided themselves into Harry’s scent until Louis couldn’t ignore them. If Louis hadn’t already said yes, the signals Harry’s biology was sending him would have made it hard not to. 

They relocated to Harry’s bedroom and didn’t even hesitate long enough to completely undress. Every word, every noise out of Harry’s mouth fed into Louis’ ego and he allowed himself to temporarily slip into a world where Harry was his to claim. It wasn’t just that he wanted it. Harry had started to call him alpha and throw out bonding themed moans just short of “I love you”. 

They were a few rounds in when Harry finally gave in and ripped his long sleeve shirt off over his head. Louis’ thrusts faltered as his eyes landed on Harry’s naked body littered with dark tattoos. He gasped and swore he got even harder at the sight. 

He spent every moment they were tied tracing and memorizing each line with awe. From the swallows on his collarbones to the ridiculously large butterfly on his stomach, Louis loved each and every one. He tried to ask the stories behind each, but Harry was not coherent enough to give him an answer. 

Instead, Louis was left to wonder. He was also left to ponder why Harry always felt the need to cover them up. Did he regret the ink he’d covered his skin with? Was he ashamed Louis would judge him with the same eyes the traditional-thinking figures from their young lives would have? 

He followed the ship on Harry’s arm down the anchor on his wrist, kissing each with a gentle press of his lips. His crush was back, but this time, it was even stronger. What he felt was substantial, was tangible. Louis was falling in love with his friend. 

Happiness would be spending every day of the rest of his life with Harry. Waking up with him, falling asleep with him in his arms, laughing together, sharing Harry’s delicious meals, having children together… 

But Louis didn’t want to tie Harry down. He wasn’t the type of alpha to demand or even expect that his omega stayed home to cook and have babies. Louis would be happy to work out a long distance relationship if Harry really loved whatever his job was which probably was with the CIA. Maybe if they were married and bonded Harry could tell him. Or maybe not. 

He tried not to get his hopes up about spending their lives together as he thought of ways he could ask to court Harry. Asking Harry’s dad seemed too old fashioned. He wanted it to be Harry’s decision and not feel like he was being married off. There had to be some interest on Harry’s side or he wouldn’t have asked Louis to help him through his heat or babbled words of praise at him, right? Louis had to have a chance. 

It was the fourth day and Harry had finally fallen asleep without Louis inside of his body. Louis was exhausted and knew that he should catch a nap too but wanted to grab some water and snacks before he did. 

He went down to the kitchen and looked around. There hadn’t been much time for Harry to give him any instructions. Still, Louis had been in this kitchen enough times to know where the essentials were. He grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with ice and water from the tap. Setting them on the counter, Louis gave a double take when a bubble envelope caught his attention. 

The yellow mailer was addressed to Harry and ripped open at the top and Louis was too nosy for his own good. He lifted the edge with one finger and saw the plastic edge of a cd case. 

After he was sure it wasn’t some kind of sex toy or porn in the package, Louis figured a cd was innocent enough. He pulled it out and was met by a familiar font across the top of the album art. _ Restless Lane _ was spelled out on a neon sign above what looked like the front of a dive bar in the picture. He turned it over to see a tracklisting of fifteen songs. He’d never heard of any of them. He hadn’t expected to. 

Harry had never talked about this mystery band yet all signed pointed to him being a dedicated fan. The copyright date in small print along the bottom suggested it was their most recent release. It was still sealed in its shrink wrap so Louis wasn’t able to look inside or even sneak in a listen while Harry was still out. 

He set it down on the counter and pulled out the rest of the envelope’s content. It looked like some kind of fan club package. There were a few different fliers about an upcoming tour and a few others that looked like advertisements for the album itself. He squinted to read the tour dates and paused when he reached Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson was only a few hours away. 

Louis bit his lip and a plan started to form. The show was still a couple months away, but he could try to find some tickets. If Harry was traveling for work, surely he’d be able to fit it into his schedule to fly back for at least a day or two for a concert with him. 

He was brought out of his thoughts by Harry moaning out for him and he hastily shoved everything back into the mailer. He grabbed the waters and made it back upstairs with only a few minor spills marking his path. 

Harry was so beautifully presented for him when he returned. It was nothing like the heat porn Louis resorted to watching sometimes. Those scenes always looked too sleazy for Louis’ taste. But the arch to Harry’s back was so alluring, his entire form stunning. Louis wanted to take a picture to visit the next time the mood struck. With any luck, he’d have the real thing with him by then. 

Hastily, Louis set the water glasses on the bedside table and crawled up behind the omega. It was a beautiful sight.

It was nearing the end of Harry’s heat and the pace they set was nice and slow. It allowed his mind to wander to fantasies of what their concert date would be like. Louis could save up for a nice hotel room where they could come back from the show all giddy and excited and make love like they’ll never have it again. It made him grin just thinking about it. 

Louis went home to shower when Harry was clear headed enough to say that he needed a few hours alone to collect himself. He also sat down at his computer and shuffled some money around in order to buy the Restless Lane tickets he needed for his master plan. He was so excited to see Harry’s face when he handed them over since he’d even made sure to find hard copies instead of those stupid mobile ones he hated. 

Everything was coming together. 

  


—————

  


Louis waited until the Restless Lane tickets he’d purchased arrived in the mail a few days later before bringing it up. He put them in a fancy pink envelope he’d picked up at Walgreens and made his way over to Harry’s with sweaty palms and a nervously racing heart. There wasn’t any reason to work himself up over it, he tried to tell himself over and over on the walk across the yard. Harry would be delighted he’d been so thoughtful, that he’d known Harry’s favourite band without Harry having to tell him. It was a perfect way to break into a courtship. 

It caught Louis a bit by surprise to see Harry standing at the stove in just a loose, oversized tank. It was a fitting outfit for the heat even if it left his arms bare and his chest piece partially exposed. The sight brought a smile to Louis’ face. He’d stopped hiding. 

“Knock knock,” Louis called out as he opened the door and felt stupid for saying knock like his nan might have. 

“Louis! Hey!” Harry spun around with a bright smile on his face. “Just who I wanted to see!” 

Louis couldn’t help the light blush that surely dusted his cheeks. Harry wanted to see him. That was a good sign. 

“I was going to wait until supper but you can stay until then. I have something to tell you.” 

The something was probably where he’d be off to once the summer was over and Louis needed to secure at least one date with him first. 

“I have something for you first,” Louis said and shifted nervously. He could see how Harry was eyeing his unusual behaviour but he couldn’t stop. “For us, actually.” 

He stepped closer and held the pink envelope out for Harry who looked down at it and then back up with a grin. 

“You got me a present?” Harry asked and looked excited as he slipped his finger under the sealed fold and ripped along the edge. 

Louis nearly blurted out what it was as Harry took his sweet time tearing into the tickets. He froze when Harry’s face fell the moment he laid eyes on the tickets. 

“Restless Lane tickets?” Harry asked hesitantly, his face an unreadable mask. 

This wasn’t the reaction Louis had been expecting. “Yeah?”

“You got me Restless Lane tickets.” 

It was a statement, not a question, and the tone of his voice made Louis uneasy. 

“Yeah? I thought we could go together. Like a date.” 

“You thought you’d take me to a Restless Lane concert. As a date.” 

The way Harry stared at Louis made his stomach clench and his heart thud. What had he missed? 

“I thought since you were such a fan? You have all the shirts and the albums and Lottie assured me this tour was going to be great? It’s still a few months away so I thought if you could work it out to come back I could meet you in Jackson? I could book a hotel and we could make a weekend out of it? Just us?” 

Harry still just stared at him and the room started to fill with a scent Louis wasn’t familiar with. He swallowed hard when he could see the muscles of Harry’s jaw clench. He was mad and Louis couldn’t figure out why. 

“I think you should go.” 

His tone was cold and sent a shiver down Louis’ spine. Harry had transformed into a person Louis didn’t recognize right in front of his eyes. His icy glare cut to Louis core and his nostrils flared in anger. 

“What? I thought it would be a nice first date! Or it wouldn’t have to be a first, we could go to dinner first or—” 

“I said I think you should go, Louis.” 

Stuttering as his mouth tried to form words, _ any _ words, Louis could only trip a few steps backwards when Harry squared his shoulders and started to move towards him. 

“Now, Louis. Get out of my house.” 

Harry crushed the envelope against Louis’ chest as he pushed him out the door and locked it once it had slammed shut. Louis gaped and watched Harry stalk away through the window of the storm door with fists clenched at his sides. 

Louis stayed frozen to the spot until the mosquitoes became too much to bear and snapped him out of his stupor. He stumbled back towards his house all the while trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. 

The house next door was dark that night and when Louis finally gathered the courage to get some answers, it wasn’t Harry who answered the door. It was his dad.

“I’m sorry, Louis, you just missed him. I dropped him off at the airport earlier this morning.” 

Louis just nodded and followed the path back to the shop. So that was it then. It hadn’t meant a thing to Harry. Off without a goodbye at the first sign Louis wanted to start something serious. He’d used him and Louis had fallen for it. 

That wasn’t even the worst part. When Louis closed his eyes, he could still hear everything Harry had said to him that made him think he had a chance. They’d all been lies and it broke him. 

  


—————

  


The kids came back home and the first day of school came and went. Louis went through the motions on autopilot. Breakfast, pack lunches, kids out the door, dinner, bedtime. It was as routine as it could get and the only thing Louis could handle. At least Lottie was around more often to help drive the others to their sports practices and whatever else they’d signed up for this fall. Louis couldn’t remember even though he’d already been to a few games. It all just blurred together. 

So when Lottie forced him into the car, it hadn’t even dawned on him until they were halfway to Jackson. The Restless Lane show. He’d completely forgotten about it. Those tickets had been for Harry. He had no intention of using them for himself without him. Lottie could have stolen them and taken a friend and Louis wouldn’t have cared. He would have preferred it, actually. 

“Stop moping, you’ll love them,” Lottie slapped his arm once they’d found their seats and he’d immediately slouched down in a pouting protest. She didn’t know the extent of what had happened. He’d told her Harry would be out of town the date of the show and had put it to bed. Discussing his crushed heart and ego was the last thing he wanted to do. 

“I’m not going to love some boyband I’ve barely heard of,” he rolled his eyes and huffed as he looked around at the crowd. It was primarily made up of omegas. The swirl of their excited scents made him sick to his stomach. He wasn’t up for being a part of two hours of alpha worship. He’d seen the posters and tour merch on their way in. With their faces hidden and shadowed by long hair, the glitter and outrageous outfits were probably just disguising the fact that they were ugly or maybe compensating for their small knots. He rolled his eyes at all the omegas who had fallen for the gimmick. 

“They’re not a boyband, Louis,” Lottie rolled her eyes right back at him. “They don’t hand out Grammy’s to boybands. They’re serious musicians and they are so good! I bet you’ve heard them on the radio and you don’t even know it.” 

“Must not have been memorable then,” Louis muttered just as the lights dimmed and the crowd went wild. 

Some sort of track that sounded like the cliched entering-heaven music started over the speakers while the backlighting slowly revealed silhouettes of the musicians while the curtain rose. There was still time for Louis to get up and hide out in the bathroom or leave all together before he was subjected to what he assumed would be some cheesy show. He’d even started to push himself to his feet when the first “hey hey!” set off the electric guitars in a retro sound that caught his attention. 

With the rest of the crowd already on their feet, Louis stood anyway but this time it was to get a better look at the stage. The lead singer pranced to the corners of the stage to get the crowd going was wearing skin tight, glittery pink pants that transitioned into heeled boots. Squinting, Louis could see that they were all part of one continuous unit, boots that turned into pants or pants that turned into boots, depending on perspective. There was no way those pants were comfortable in the heat of the venue and Louis had to give the guy props for suffering to keep up his esthetic. 

Above that he wore a short jacket with pink sparkle lapels to match and a swirled pattern of pink glitter pressed meticulously to his face like a mask. In the brief closeups they showed on the large screens he could see that the long false eyelashes the alpha was wearing were pink as well. It was quite a look, Louis did have to give him that. 

But beyond the costume, there was something alluring about the man. Even his little dance moves drew Louis in and that was before the man even opened his mouth. 

When he did, Louis thought he might melt. It was so rich and smooth and mysterious as fast songs transitioned into hazy, dreamlike tempos. He didn’t talk much between the songs as they moved through the setlist, but communicated effectively with his body language and his music. No wonder this group had won so many awards. Louis had to admit he’d been too quick to judge. He even questioned his sexuality when his eyes zeroed in on the alpha’s bulging crotch in the shrink wrapped pants while he gyrated his hips and practically humped his mic stand to the sensual beat.

Their seats were too far away to see too many details, so Louis’ eyes kept moving to the screens. Dark curly hair often obstructed the view of the alpha’s face past the glitter catching the light so the camera constantly moved around his body. His hands gripped the mic as he leaned on the stand and Louis’ mouth watered seeing black ink on his wrist where his sleeves had ridden up. It reminded him of the curve of Harry’s anchor in the same place, the one he had traced the outline of and then kissed while they were knotted together. 

Louis shook his head. None of it was as sensual as he remembered. It had all been an act to lure Louis in yet it was hard to stop himself from thinking about how it felt. 

The end of the show came too quickly. The alpha stood with his legs together and arms spread wide, the jacket parted to show the glittery bare skin of his chest. Louis squinted at the screen as the camera panned down his body and he realized he recognized the big butterfly tattoo peeking out above the high waisted, glittery pants. There were others that were familiar, too. He hadn’t been able to get a good look when the singer had been running around the stage all night. Was Harry such an obsessed fan that he had tattooed his body to match his idol’s? Was that the reason Harry had spent the start of the summer with them carefully covered from Louis’ view? Had Harry turned him down to keep the depth of his obsession from being exposed? 

The sea of bodies leaving the concert kept Louis from being able to ponder it for long. He quickly lost Lottie to the masses and slipped his way behind a closed up food stand to keep himself from being trampled while he waited for things to die down to find her. 

The back of the stand gave way to a small hallway that Louis found himself wandering down while his thoughts returned to Harry. Maybe he was going crazy because, after a few minutes, he swore he could even hear Harry’s voice. He followed the sound and soon stood under an open square high in the cinderblock wall that must have been there to circulate air. 

He listened as the voice joked around and then laughed. If it wasn’t Harry, it was his vocal twin and Louis had to get a look at the guy. There wasn’t much in the hallway, just a storage space that didn’t look heavily traveled. There was a large garbage barrel and Louis wasted no time upending it and pushing it against the wall. 

It was tall and took him a few tries to hoist himself up, but when he did, he could just see into what was probably a dressing room if the clothing rack was anything to go by. The abundance of sparkly items on hangers made him wonder if the lead singer was nearby. 

His fingers got a good grip on the ledge but it was just high enough that he couldn’t pull himself up. He repositioned his arms and then jumped as he hoisted himself up to have a look. 

He must have miscalculated his leverage and, instead of being able to lean in just for a peek, he went hurtling through the open space until his body was hanging into the room. 

“What the fuck?” Louis heard as he tried to gain his balance. He was going to get arrested for trespassing. This was a bad idea. 

He looked up to get his glance at Harry’s vocal twin and only saw a mop of dark curls before he was tumbling. He landed with a thud and groaned at the way his body protested the heap he was in. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?” 

Feet rushed towards him and he waved them off. If he was going to get arrested, he could at least save himself a sliver of dignity by pulling himself off the floor on his own. 

“Louis! Oh my god!” 

Louis froze in the middle of straightening out his clothes and looked up at the man who swiftly turned and busied himself by the table filled with food. It was definitely the lead singer but the sparkly boot-pants had been exchanged for a comfier-looking pair of loose athletic shorts. Louis should know. He had the same pair back at home. 

“How did you know my name?” 

The man seemed flustered as he messed with some kind of packaging. “Name? What? I don’t know your name.” 

“You said Louis. That’s my name.” 

The package ripped in the man’s hands and Skittles went flying, bouncing on the floor around them in a clatter. 

“Louis? I don’t know a Louis. That’s a strange name. I didn’t say anything like Louis. Uhhh, looney! I said you’re a looney! You know, a lunatic? Insane? You _ are _ breaking into my dressing room after all. Do I need to get a restraining order?” 

“What? No? I just heard a voice that sounded like my friend Harry’s and was just snooping around. I don’t give a shit about who you are, uh, Mr. Lane. Or whatever your name is.” 

When he spoke again, his voice sounded strange like he was trying to talk deeper than he already was. “Restless Lane is the band name, not mine.” 

“Okay then. I really don’t care. But since I’m here, could I get a picture with you? My friend is a big fan and it would be cool to show him if I see him again.” 

“If?? I mean, you know, if you want but, uh, I’m in the middle of my after show routine.” 

Louis watched in shock as the singer fumbled around and then grabbed a full cream pie from the stand, set the silver pie server aside and promptly shoved his face into it. 

“What the fuck? Why did you just shove pie in your face?” 

A big blob of creamy filling slid off his face and landed with a loud plop on the floor. 

“It’s not a real pie. It’s a, uh, It’s a foaming facial-wash pie! You know, helps with all the glitter. And stuff.” 

Louis had heard all those Hollywood types were weird but this had to take the cake. Whatever this guy was smoking, Louis wanted to know so he could stay the hell away from it. There was definitely a looney in the room and it wasn’t Louis. 

“Welp, snap your picture and then you can be off! Where’s your phone? Here?” Louis stared at him like he was crazy while he reached his own hand into Louis’ pocket and fished out his phone. He leaned in and pressed his gunky face against Louis’ cheek and held out his phone with the front facing camera. “Okay, here we go! See, what a good selfie. Okay! Thanks! Bye!” 

Louis was being ushered out the door but the “pie facial” had dripped over everything and he felt like a sticky mess. 

“Can I at least wash my hands or something?” Louis asked and made a face when his fingers stuck together. 

“There’s a sink down the hall! Okay, bye!” 

He tried to press the phone back against Louis’ chest but it fell to the floor before either of them could catch it. 

“Son of a— You’re paying for that if it’s broken.” 

Louis crouched to retrieve the phone from beside the flip flop wearing feet and turned it over in his sticky fingers. It was strange to see this singer so dressed down from the costumes he wore on stage. 

“Did it take a crew to get those boot pants off of you?” Louis asked while he continued to inspect. He might as well throw a few jabs in as payback since his phone was probably broken. It surprised him then when he received a small giggle in response instead. 

Louis glanced up but found himself face to face with the singer’s crotch. 

“Oh, uh, sorry,” making an already awkward situation even worse, “Those are pretty comfortable shorts though. They’re my favourites. I have a pair of them at home only mine have a hole right—” Louis started to stand up and paused when he saw the frayed edges of a small hole along the seam. “Right there,” Louis finished in a whisper. 

It was bad quality if that particular design of shorts tore in the same spot for everyone. But Louis’ hadn’t been from wear and tear. He’d snagged it on the branch of a tree his friends dared him to climb so he could jump off the tallest limb into the lake. He’d nearly broken his neck that day. 

“And have my name written along the band because my sister is always trying to steal them.” 

Louis stood but didn’t raise his eyes just yet. The band of these shorts was folded down just once to display the inside of the elastic band. He took two steps around and reached out a finger to trace the faded sharpie letters spelling his name that were there on this pair of shorts as well. His lips were parted in a silent gasp. 

He still wore his show jacket and Louis spread the jacket open with a light touch. He reached out and traced the butterfly tattooed on his stomach with a delicate fingertip and watched goosebumps rise on his stomach. The way he stood so still told Louis all he needed to know but he still reached up and swiped his hands across each sides of his face to clear the remaining cream. 

Harry. 

“Ta-da?” Harry held out his arms in a personification of an emoji. 

“Harry! What the fuck!” Burst out of Louis’ mouth because what the actual fuck? Harry rejects his tickets to see the band he’s secretly the star of. Louis doesn’t know what to be pissed about first. 

“Okay Louis, I know you’re upset but you have to understand the position I was in. No one knows, Louis. Only my family and a few people on the crew who help me out. The world knows me as an alpha and you’re one of the few people who knows me from before, knows what I am. I couldn’t just jeopardize the band like that without being sure you wouldn’t care.” 

“So you don’t trust me? Is that what it is? ‘Don’t tell Louis my secret so he can’t go to the press after I fuck him. I’ll just use him for my heat and he’ll be none the wiser.’” Louis mocked him, “Is that how it is Harry?” 

“Louis, please, it’s not like that,” Harry pleaded. “I didn’t want you to start looking at me differently. It’s been so long since anyone has looked at me as me, but you did. As soon as you looked up at me, you did. I selfishly wanted to hold on to that for just a bit longer.” 

“I don’t want to be the toy you use to feel humble. That’s bullshit, Harry. We’ve known each other since we were kids, I know your family, you know my family, your dad still comes over when I have the grill going. And you still used me. I looked at you because I thought I knew you, before I found out it was all an act.” Louis voice had bite and he could see every one of them hit Harry and it felt vindictive. “And you know what? After all that I’m _ still _ not going to sell your secret. Because I got to to fall in love with the old you for a few days, even if it wasn’t real, and I don’t want the world to have that.”

Harry stared at him, speechless. Louis’ chest ached with the waves of emotions colliding and overwhelming him all at once. 

“So goodbye, Harry.” Louis turned back towards the door. He glanced back only once, just long enough to give Harry a once over. “And wash your face off. You look ridiculous.” 

With that he turned on his heel and stalked down the hallway with his head held high. 

  


The ride home from Jackson was long and silent. Lottie assumed he was mad because they had been separated in the crowd and he let her think that was the cause. There was no way he would or could explain the real fuel behind his foul mood so he let it fester and cursed every piece of stray glitter on his clothes that caught the street lights through the car window. At least he could add _ used by a pop star _ to his life experiences. That would seem exciting to anyone else.

It took a good scrubbing in a hot shower to remove every trace of Harry from his body. The sticky pie that lingered in the webbing of his fingers, the glitter that was somehow even in his hair, and the scent he was probably just imagining since he could tell Harry had doused himself in neutralizers. 

Already well past three in the morning, Louis knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He threw on some joggers and a hoodie and headed towards his shop where he wouldn’t wake any of the kids. The grass was damp, same as the chilly air. They were well into fall now, a stark contrast to the heat that brought Harry back into his life. He scoffed at the memory. 

The dim light was already on when he pushed the rickety door open with a loud squeak. There was Harry with wilted curls down to his shoulders and an oversized sweater hanging over his hands. 

“Hi.” 

His voice sounded wrecked even with one word, but it was hard for Louis to find any sympathy for him even as he sat there all soft and hunched in on himself. Harry had never accepted his size and always made himself smaller. At least that hadn’t changed. 

“So who am I talking to? Harry or _ Mr. Lane _?”

There was no point in hiding his anger or sass. Harry knew how he felt. He hadn’t missed the way Harry’s nostrils had twitched as his emotions rolled off his body. It would have been polite for Louis to damper it in the presence of an omega but Louis _ wanted _ Harry to feel the brunt of it. 

“Just Harry,” he said softly and looked down at his hands that were mostly covered by his sleeves. 

“Don’t you have some concert to be at? Some glamorous after party?” Louis asked as he went over to his mini fridge and pulled out a beer. He didn’t offer one to Harry. 

“Should probably be on the bus, yeah,” Harry nodded, his voice barely there. 

“So why are you here?” 

Louis leaned back against the makeshift counter made out of a strip of old plywood that held his scattered tools and crossed his arms as he waited. Harry’s presence was really cramping his plans to stew in his rage. 

“It wasn’t an act,” Harry finally said. “With you it wasn’t an act.” 

Harry looked up at him with watery red-rimmed eyes and, for just a moment, Louis started to crack. He clenched his teeth to hold on to his anger. 

“Bullshit.” 

Louis could see the moment the word pierced Harry’s heart. It felt good. At least for a split second. 

“I haven’t been allowed to be myself for over three years,” Harry started softly before clearing his throat. It didn’t help his rough voice when he continued. “It started as a big joke so we could play some of the bars that paid better but wouldn’t hire any O’s. I’d throw on some neutralizers and we’d play the gig. Then it was every show so the promoters wouldn’t blacklist us when they caught on. We always liked the dark and mysterious thing so we took it a step further with the masks and makeup in case someone we knew recognized me and called me out.

“By the time we got signed,” Harry shook his head with a sad laugh, “There was nothing I could do about it. We already had a decent following that all knew me as alpha and that was how they wanted to market us. So they pumped me full of suppressants and made sure there was always some famous omega linked to me in the tabloids and here we are. 

“This summer was the first time I was allowed to go off of them since we signed. They only let me because my doctor demanded it. There are a lot of risks that go along with suppressing heat for so long and I guess they finally decided it wasn’t in their best interest for their lead singer to have a stroke on stage.” 

Harry wiped a stray tear from his cheek and then tilted his head so he was mostly hidden by a curtain of dark hair. The air around them had shifted into something delicate, fragile enough to shatter with more than a whisper. It wasn’t what Louis had been expecting.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Because,” Harry sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve covered hand, “It felt good to feel like myself again. It felt good for someone to want me how I was. I didn’t want you to pity me or start treating me like everyone else does. I didn’t want you to want _ him _ over me.”

“Never. I would never—” 

“You would, Louis. Even if you think you wouldn’t, you would have. You would have started asking questions and it would have always been in the back of your mind.” He looked up at the ceiling and tried to blink back his tears before squeezing his eyes shut. “You don’t know what it was like to feel things again, to even _ scent _ after so long. Everything on those pills is so muted and dull. They’re so strong I can barely even get _ wet _on my own and even when I do, it doesn’t feel the same. And there you were, just how I remembered you but even more attractive, and your scent was so rich and I still had such a crush on you. 

“Louis, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I just wanted to be normal for once, to feel like myself with you.” 

Louis was trembling on the inside even if it didn’t show. Harry’s despair had blanketed the room and nothing about it was fabricated. It was intense. It had to be in order to cut through the suppressants Harry most certainly was back on. 

“I was going to tell you, I really was, and then you came over with the tickets and I—,” Harry swallowed hard and then sighed. “I freaked out. I know I did and I’m sorry. At first I thought that maybe you’d figured it out and it was your way of bringing it up and I hadn’t thought about it from that angle yet and I panicked. And then it seemed like you really didn’t know but I was still all worked up and scared you’d be mad. I didn’t know what to do.” 

“I really didn’t know,” Louis shook his head, “I was trying to court you, Harry, and you threw me out the door and disappeared.” 

Harry winced. “I know it’s my fault. I’ve never had someone I cared enough about to even think about telling them. I haven’t dated since before the band either. I know it’s all a poor excuse for what I did. I just needed you to know where I’m coming from so you knew I didn’t do any of it on purpose.” 

The silence was stifling in the shop once Harry stopped his rush of words. The dim lighting made the puffy circles under Harry’s eyes appear shadowed and haunting. Louis could tell there were thoughts racing through the omega’s mind and words stuck just beyond his lips. Harry had been the king of confidence on the stage only hours before. He filled the alpha image better than even some actual alphas did. It was such a contrast and Louis could see now that _ that _was the act. 

The Harry in front of him was soft and unsure and desperate to feel safe enough to let himself feel vulnerable for a while. Eventually Louis took a long breath in and audibly let out. It was a resigned sigh that still held so many mixed feelings though they were starting to settle around the edges. 

“I’m not going to sell you out. I’m not going to tell your secrets,” he said softly.

“Thank you,” Harry croaked back, his voice thick from the tears that still occasionally slipped free and rolled down his cheeks. 

“But you’re not going to be able to keep it up forever. Not when you fall in love or have the kids you always talked about wanting.” 

“I know,” Harry said softly. 

“And I don’t want any part in it. So as long as you have to fool the world into believing you’re something that you’re not, I can’t be the person you come to so you can feel normal. You don’t even smell like yourself. You still made it this far on your talent so own it. My sister worships you and it’s under false pretenses. When it does blow up in your face, you’ll have taught a generation of omegas that they have to hide what they are to achieve success. So go back to your tour bus or your bathtub full of glitter and I’ll go back to forgetting this ever happened.” 

“Louis! Wait!” 

But Louis was out the door and back into chilled air of night. He refused to look back and held back his sob until he was safely locked inside the house. 

  


—————

“And now I cannot contain my excitement in introducing to you our next guests. We are privileged to them in their first ever television interview, please welcome Restless Lane!” 

“Turn that shit off,” Louis yelled from the kitchen over the roar of screams from the television speakers. 

“No!! I’m not missing this for anythi— HOLY SHIT THAT’S HARRY!! LOUIS GET IN HERE!!” 

Louis ran into the room on instinct when Lottie screamed and his eyes grew wide when he saw what had caused Lottie’s outburst. 

There on the screen was Harry and his bandmates looking unrecognizable in black suits on the late night talk show couch. No glitter, no makeup, no costumes. 

Louis stared in shock. 

“Welcome, welcome! So you guys look a little different tonight so let’s start with some introductions.”

They went down the line until it came to Harry sitting closest to the host. 

“And I’m Harry Styles.” Louis knew that bashful smile and those deep dimples. It was jarring to see them on his tv. 

“But your fans know you as Harris, is that correct?” 

“Harris, yeah.” 

Louis could tell he was nervous and fighting the instinct to slouch in on himself. He’d never been Harry to the public eye before and it showed. 

“So Harry. Let’s jump right into it. Your shocking announcement at your show last night has made a lot of headlines. The question on everyone’s mind right now is, of course, is it true?” 

Louis glanced back at Lottie in confusion. She was too focused to even notice. 

“First, let’s watch this clip of what happened.” 

A shaky fan video from a Restless Lane show rolled that appeared to be from the front row. The colour of the night was a rich blue, glitter across Harry’s face in a lightning bolt pattern.

“I’d like to play a new song for you all if you don’t mind.” The crowd went wild while Harry adjusted his microphone and tried to hide his grin. “I wrote this for someone special to me who told me I should stop hiding who I am. I hope that you can still love our music even if I’m not alpha.” 

The clip ended and it cut back to the band and to Harry pulling on his lower lip. 

“You’ve been portrayed as one of Hollywood’s biggest omeganizers which has us scratching our heads.” 

“There is a lot of gender descrimination still left in the world and we just wanted to make music,” Harry shrugged. Louis couldn’t believe what was happening. He wanted to scream at the tv for Harry to stop, to scream at him for destroying everything. At the same time, this was exactly what Louis wanted. He wanted Harry to shock people. He wanted everyone to know that Harry was a talented omega who had deserved everything he had. 

“It was easier to book gigs if four alphas showed up,” one of Harry’s band members spoke up. “Harry has always been the heart of our band, none of us ever had a problem with his gender. We’d laugh about fooling all the sexist *beeeep*. Oops. Sorry. But, yeah, we’d laugh about it after we got paid and by the time we’d made a name for ourselves, everyone still just assumed.” 

The band nodded in agreement and Harry’s cheeks stained a lovely shade of pink. 

“So it’s true?” the host asked. 

“It’s true. I’m omega.” 

The gasp from the crowd turned into wild cheers and applause. Louis couldn’t hide the grin on his face when the camera flipped back to Harry’s beaming smile. It looked like his heart was bursting from being accepted as himself for the first time. Louis wanted to gather him up and squeeze him for being so brave. 

“And that special someone? Is it a special alpha you’re coming out for?” 

“There is a special alpha, a very dear friend of mine back home, but this was my decision and I’m grateful to have the support of the rest of band who encouraged me to do it. I think I got so used to pretending because at times in our career I had to. At this point, I realized that I’m part of the problem if I let this go on. We got here with our talent as musicians and that includes my own skill and hard work as an omega. No matter what the public has known me as, I’ve been me underneath that image the whole time. It’s a powerful message for young omegas out there that their gender doesn’t have to hold them back. I don’t want a world where we have to hide what we are to be successful.” 

“I can’t believe you never told me Harry is Restless Lane!!” The throw pillow from the couch hit the back of Louis’ head and he spun around to give his sister a dirty look. 

“I didn’t even know until after the concert in Jackson!” Louis said in defense. 

“And you still didn’t tell me!!!” 

“It’s complicated,” Louis stole Harry’s excuse. “I promised I wouldn’t and I just wanted to forget about the whole thing.” 

“The whole thing!? This is epic news!!” 

“It’s not just that.” 

Lottie was relentless until Louis finally gave in and told her what had really happened with Harry. It was nearly three in the morning when he finally stopped talking which only reminded him of the last time he’d seen Harry out in the shop. 

“You have to go get him!” Lottie exclaimed. 

“It’s over, Lotts. It would never work.” 

“He just came out on national television for you!! That’s your message, dumbass! It’s your move!!” 

“What are you even— No, that’s stupid. He didn’t do it for me. He’s just smart and realized it wasn’t sustainable.” 

“He literally said he has a special alpha back home! You’re back home!! You are the alpha back home!!” 

Lottie poked at his forehead to make her point until he slapped her hand away. 

“You’re such an idiot! Go get him!!!” 

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Louis asked. He was still being stubborn, but it had started to sink in that maybe Lottie was right. No, deep down he already _ knew _ Lottie was right.

“They’re playing…” Lottie chewed on her lip and scrolled on her phone. “They’re playing New York tomorrow. Go get him!” 

“I can’t afford to fly to New York,” he sighed. He was disappointed even if he hadn’t fully accepted that Lottie was right. 

“Louis, I know you have money put away.” Lottie said seriously. 

“That’s for the kids, for you.” 

“You have to do something for yourself sometimes. Mom would have wanted it.” 

That shot right to his heart and made it ache. His mom was always encouraging him to chase his dreams and to live his life to the fullest. Maybe he owed it to her to try. She had always adored Harry, he suspected sometimes even more than she adored him. 

“That’s the spirit!!” He looked up to Lottie’s bright smile. “I see those wheels turning! I’ll stay with the kids. Go get your O!!” 

  


—————

  


New York was big and overwhelming. Louis hadn’t thought about that when he’d taken off with only a small bag with a change of underwear and a toothbrush shoved inside. 

There weren’t a lot of options available for a last minute flight, so it was late when he finally landed at LaGuardia with no plan whatsoever. The cab had deposited him outside MSG where Restless Lane advertisements were cycling on the bright screens along with the other artists set to play in the coming months. There was a large collection of fans still outside though the show was well underway. It made his pride swell that Harry could pull such a crowd even after his announcement. With so many omega flags, Louis wondered if the crowd had drawn _ because _ of it. 

He circled the arena and found that it wasn’t a very eye-catching building. He’d always expected it to be the center of everything from the way it was hyped up on television shows and movies and it really wasn’t. It seemed so ordinary from most angles. How fitting. Ordinary Louis attempts to make the most elaborate risk of his life and ends up in front of the most ordinary-looking venue. 

There had been absolutely no tickets left for the show. He’d never heard of anything like it. Even the re-sale sites were sold out. He stood with the crowd of fans that was clustered at the main entrance but felt out of place. They were there for different reasons and it was glaringly obvious. They started to eye him suspiciously and he couldn’t blame them. He was a strange alpha with a duffle bag lingering around a group of young omegas. They were probably right to be cautious. 

Eventually the masses flooded the sidewalks as the concert let out. Louis let himself be carried along with the crowd and then settled in a spot with less traffic. A garage door opened and a tour bus pulled out followed by screams from the sidewalk. With Harry probably inside, he briefly thought about following it but it was lost before he could even hail a cab. 

With a sigh, he wilted to the pavement and stared up at the hazy night sky. It was hard to see the stars with so many lights and reminded him just how far away from home he was. No part of this adventure was turning out the way it was supposed to. He should have saved his money instead of listening to Lottie’s romcom fantasies. Harry hadn’t done any of that for him, not really. 

Eventually Louis sighed and picked up his bag. It was a bust and he had to accept that. Once he found a bathroom, he’d head back to the airport and back to his life in Mississippi to never think of this again. 

He tried the door to what he hoped would be an open lobby with a bathroom and was glad to find it wasn’t locked. Since it was well past midnight, he hoped he could slip in, do his business, and slip out without having to deal with anyone. He wasn’t in the mood to even speak with another human. 

Instead of a lobby, Louis wandered down the concrete corridors that reminded him of the arena in Jackson the night he’d discovered Harry’s secret. He allowed himself to revisit the memory one last time before he’d lock it away. 

“Louis? What are you doing here?” 

Louis snapped out of his thoughts and met Harry’s shocked expression. 

“I, uhhhh,” he looked around for an excuse, but he didn’t need one. He’d come for Harry. “I came to see you. But the show was sold out and… yeah. I was just trying to find a bathroom.” 

“You came to see me?” Harry asked softly. 

“Yeah, Lottie got it in her head that you were doing all that as a sign for me to— you know what, forget it. Sorry.” 

“I did, though.” 

“What?” 

Harry looked down at his feet bashfully. “I did it for myself, but I did it for you too. I wanted to build my career into something you could be proud of. No more lies.” 

It made Louis’ heart swell and melt at the same time. “I have always been proud of you,” he corrected, “I just wanted you to have the recognition you deserve, the life you deserve.” 

“I thought I had convinced myself it was fine, that it didn’t matter that I was alone with my secrets,” Harry shook his head with a small huff, “But then you came back into my life and made me question everything.” 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

“No, don’t. I’m glad. So Louis?” Harry stepped closer to him and took his hands, “I know it didn’t work out quite how you’d imagined it would the first time, but would you like to go to a Restless Lane concert with me?” 

Louis’ grin grew as he looked up at Harry who still wore his heeled boots from the show and nodded with enthusiasm. 

“Absolutely.”

**Author's Note:**

> [here is a tumblr post!](https://jaerie.tumblr.com/post/187134689922/restless-lane-e-15k-abo-by-jaerie-louis-had)


End file.
